As you can tell in the video, I had quite a bit of fun looking at the Journey Instruments Classical Cedar Pau Ferro – OC520 collapsable travel classical guitar. When they first contacted me I was a bit skeptical of doing a review of a travel guitar but I was pleasantly surprised at how well designed and charming this instrument is to play. The detachable neck is rock solid, easy to setup, and the action and playability of the guitar was great right out of the box. The tone is warm, mellow, and has a plucky quality, kind of like a 19th century guitar. The travel bag is perfect, will fit in any overhead plane. It’s a soft case but that might be good for planes and airport security size-wise. Plus, it has a built in under-bridge transducer pickup system. The only thing I didn’t like was the little plastic string holder on the head but it’s likely a necessary and practical addition to keep the strings in place. The price is amazingly affordable at around $649. It’s not a concert level instrument but it is far more than just a travel guitar. Most travel guitars are actually just smaller instruments but this one is a full 650mm scale length so you can practice properly on the go. I usually sell my review instruments but I think I’ll keep this one for travel and practice.

Update – That’s not a metal strip around the fingerboard on the body, it’s a removable rubbery pad. I didn’t realize it came off in the video. Looks better now!

Patented removable neck system allows this classical travel guitar to collapse into an airline carry-on size case for the traveling musician or backpacker. The Overhead carries a clear resonant tone with surprising volume and bass. The relatively small body size is able to carry a full sound through the use of a Manzer wedge which increases the air volume while keeping the top of the guitar close to the body for comfort. Also includes tone-enhancing premium-grade bone nut and saddle, along with ebony bridge pins.

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